Scabies, a mite infestation caused by 'Sarcoptes scabiei', most commonly presents as pruritic linear burrows where the mite has invaded the skin. Scabies variant such as bullous, crusted, hidden, incognito, nodular and scalp-mimic the other conditions. In addition, atypical presentations of scabies can masquerade as dermatitis herpetiformis, ecchymosis, Langerhans cell histiocytosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, urticaria, and urticaria pigmentosa. A 59-year-old male presented with non-pruritic papulosquamous plaques on his chest, abdomen, and back resembling lesions of pityriasis rosea in morphology and distribution...

A large proportion of patients seen in dermatology practices have underlying psychological issues associated with their skin diseases. One of the most flagrant examples of this are patients with delusions of parasitosis. These patients have false fixed beliefs that they are infested by parasites and experience cutaneous sensations of crawling, biting, and stinging associated with their delusions. There is no organic skin disorder and all cutaneous manifestations are self-induced. Rather than a psychiatrist, the dermatologist is often designated by the patient to handle the chief complaint, even though the main disorder is psychogenic...

Soil and freshwater-dwelling amoebae may opportunistically infect the skin and evoke a granulomatous dermatitis that camouflages their underlying morphology. Amoebic infestations are incredibly rare in the U.S., predominantly occurring in the young, elderly, and immunocompromised. Sadly, because diagnosis is difficult and unsuspected, most cases are diagnosed at autopsy. The following case is of a healthy 84-year-old man with a non-healing nodulo-ulcerative cutaneous lesion on his left forearm that appeared following a gardening injury...

Morgellons disease (MD) is a skin condition characterized by the presence of multicolored filaments that lie under, are embedded in, or project from skin. Although the condition may have a longer history, disease matching the above description was first reported in the US in 2002. Since that time, the condition that we know as MD has become a polemic topic. Because individuals afflicted with the disease may have crawling or stinging sensations and sometimes believe they have an insect or parasite infestation, most medical practitioners consider MD a purely delusional disorder...

Subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus is a clinically distinct form of cutaneous lupus erythematosus, with age of onset typically in the second to fifth decades. Eleven cases have been reported in childhood, and we present the first known case of subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus in identical twins. Although flares are typically photo-induced, we present an annular eruption typical of subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus with concurrent pinworm infestation, with recurrence of disease with cutaneous larva migrans...

Skin wound healing has been widely studied in mammalian models but the information on teleost cutaneous healing is sparse and frequently considered in the context of viral or bacterial infections or parasitic infestations in aquaculture. In the present study a detailed time course (0 h, 6 h, 1, 2, 3 and 4 days) coupled to morphology and gene expression analysis revealed rapid regeneration of skin without scarring in a marine teleost after a superficial wound caused by the loss of a large area of scales. The integrity of the integument, as assessed by quantification of extracellular matrix (ECM) gene transcripts (fn1a, colIα1, colVα2, colXα1, ogn1, ogn2, crtac1a, cyr61, pcna, krt2 and mmp9) was restored within 2 days...

Understanding the effects of age on the epidemiology of diseases primarily affecting the skin is important to the practice of dermatology, both for proper allocation of resources and for optimal patient-centered care. To fully appreciate the effect that age may have on the population-based calculations of incidence of diseases primarily affecting the skin in Olmsted County, Minnesota, and worldwide, we performed a review of all relevant Rochester Epidemiology Project-published data and compared them to similar reports in the worldwide English literature...

Climate change contributes to the increase in severity and frequency of flooding, which is the most frequent and deadly disaster worldwide. Flood-related damage can be very severe and include health effects. Among those health impacts, dermatological diseases are one of the most frequently encountered. Both infectious and noninfectious dermatological conditions are increasing after flooding. We searched PubMed using the search term climate change OR global warming OR rainfall OR flooding OR skin. Articles published in the English-language literature were included...

BACKGROUND: Protothecosis is an uncommon infection caused by the achlorophyllic algae found more commonly in tropical areas. Only a limited number of cases have been reported. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the clinicopathological features and treatment outcomes of cutaneous protothecosis. METHODS: We retrospectively identified 20 pathology-confirmed cases of cutaneous protothecosis based on skin biopsies in two tertiary medical centers in Taiwan from 1997 to 2015...

Cutaneous infections and infestations are common among children and adolescents. Ectoparasitic infestations affect individuals across the globe. Head lice, body lice, scabies, and infestations with bed bugs are seen in individuals who reside in both resource poor areas and in developed countries. Superficial cutaneous and mucosal candida infections occur throughout the life cycle. Dermatophyte infections of keratin-containing skin and skin structures result in tinea capitis (scalp), tinea corporis (body), tinea pedis (foot), and tinea unguium (nails)...

Approximately half of all patients presenting to dermatologists exhibit signs and symptoms of psychiatric conditions that are either primary or secondary to cutaneous disease. Because patients typically resist psychiatric consult, dermatologists often are on the front line in evaluating and treating these patients. Accordingly, distinguishing the specific underlying or resulting psychiatric condition is essential for effective treatment. The etiology, epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and first-line treatment of specific primary psychiatric causes of dermatologic conditions, including delusional infestation, Morgellons syndrome, olfactory reference syndrome, body dysmorphic disorder, excoriation disorder, trichotillomania, and dermatitis artefacta are discussed here, followed by a discussion of the recommended treatment approach with an overview of the different first-line therapies discussed in this review, specifically cognitive behavioral therapy, atypical antipsychotics, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and tricyclic antidepressants...

BACKGROUND: Immunization with killed Leishmania promastigotes without adjuvant was considered as safe, but gave variable rates of protection. Taking advantage of the immuno-modulatory effect of caffeic acid (CA), a natural polyphenolic antioxidant, we investigated its potentiating effect in autoclaved Leishmania major (ALM)-induced protection of Leishmania major-infected BALB/c. METHODS: First, BALB/c mice were sensitized for 6 weeks either with CA, or ALM alone or combined with caffeic acid (ALM-CA) or Freund's adjuvant (ALM-FA), and subsequently infected with L...

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is characterized by skin barrier defects, T helper type 2 cell activation, and increased risk for cutaneous and extracutaneous infections. In clinical trials, dupilumab appeared to decrease rates of skin infections in AD. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine the impact of dupilumab on rates of skin and other infections in patients with moderate-to-severe AD. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of dupilumab for AD...

BACKGOUND: Over the last thirty years, the scientific community has become increasingly interested in the intestinal flora, whether commensal or pathogenic, and its impact on other organs. In dermatology, the correlation between intestinal microbial agents and cutaneous lesions is well established. Giardia duodenalis, an intestinal parasite, has been particularly widely studied. The aim of this work is to provide a review of studies demonstrating the involvement of G. duodenalis in various forms of dermatosis...

BACKGROUND: Delusional parasitosis (DP) is an uncommon psychiatric disorder. Patients suffering from this disorder have the fixed false belief of being infested by a parasite. Because of this condition, patients mainly consult with dermatologists or general practitioners. They are often reluctant to see a psychiatrist and to take treatment with antipsychotics because of their belief. The following describes the case of a woman who has the particularity that the DP started a few days after sertraline interruption...

Significant new insights are being made into tick modulation of host immune defenses and the implications of those host defense changes on tick-borne pathogen transmission and establishment of infection. Understanding tick saliva complexity increased with construction and analyses of salivary gland cDNA libraries. High throughput next generation sequencing and advances in proteomics are revealing greater complexity of saliva, nature of gene families and differential gene expression patterns not previously attainable...